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Thursday, November 06, 2008

It's a Smule World After All

Having realized a 30X gain on my 1997 investment in Tumbleweed, I'm delighted to be incubating Jeff Smith's next venture, Sonic Mule. After taking Tumbleweed public, Jeff retreated to Stanford in pursuit of his doctorate in classical music; he then joined Bessemer as an EIR, where he conceived Sonic Mule (aka Smule). Jeff recruited Ge Wang (Stanford) and Perry Cook (Princeton) -- two of the world's the most prominent professors in computer-music integration and the inventors of Chuck, an open source language that processes and renders sound in real time.

Today Sonic Mule is releasing their latest and greatest app yet-- the Ocarrina. This is the first fully functional and expressive iPhone musical instrument. A true Occarina, it responds to breath, fingerings, and position. It is easy to learn but allows for nuance and mastery. And you can navigate the globe to listen in on Occarina performances around the world. Check out the video and then buy Ocarina for 99 cents.

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The thoughts and opinions expressed herein belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Bessemer Venture Partners or any of its affiliates (“Bessemer”). The material here is written on the author’s own time for his own reasons, and Bessemer has not reviewed or approved the information herein. Any discussion of topics related to Bessemer or its investment activities should not be construed as an official comment of Bessemer.